1.Do an audience analysis. The user manual should be written for the audience -- those who will be purchasing your product or service and reading the user manual. An audience analysis will tell you who your main or target audience will be and will guide your writing.
Talk to people who will use your device. Offer test users prototypes of the device and a draft of the user manual under controlled conditions. Solicit these test users’ feedback about things that are not obvious or confusing in the user directions and incorporate changes into your user manual based on this feedback.
You can never please your entire audience; write the manual to suit the target or largest audience.
Think about the audience’s age, health (do they have illnesses, learning impairments, or disabilities?), and educational level to determine the best approach to writing the user guide.
2.Coordinate the design of the user manual. If you were part of the team that helped design and develop the device or product, it might be hard to look at the product objectively in order to explain its operation. You might, therefore, want to solicit the advice of a writer (preferably one with experience in writing instructions) and graphic designer in order to help you draft the user manual. You could choose these individuals from an outside consultancy or from your own company or organization.
3.Do a task analysis. A task analysis is the process of identifying and organizing the steps needed to use the device. A thorough task analysis will identify the materials and equipment (such as batteries, medications, or other user-provided products) needed for each step, as well as the actions, errors, and troubleshooting advice that each step might require.
If you have a product that can perform many different tasks or sub-tasks, you will need to perform a task analysis on each task. For instance, in a car, you can honk the horn, strap yourself in, and turn your headlights on or off. Create a task analysis for each of these as needed.
4.Ensure your product complies with labeling and marketing clearance requirements.These requirements ensure that products are produced with user safety in mind, and will limit user exposure to dangerous conditions such as radiation and electrocution. Advertisements must demonstrate clearly what the purpose and basic operational guidelines of a product are, and you should use these sources when writing your user manual.
For the user manual of a product to be effective, it needs to be written in concert with labels affixed directly to the product.
Ensure your device is legally licensed for sale before writing instruction manual.
5.Decide on your manual’s layout. There are several important ways you can streamline your manual. You should place a bold heading at the start of each section with each word capitalized. For instance, “Setting Up Your Device,” “Operating Your Device,” and “Troubleshooting” could all be bold section headings.
Another way to streamline your manual is to use two columns, one on the right with text and the other just to the left of the text with bullet points, numbers, or small icons like warning signs or red exclamation marks.
Your manual might be mostly images with some text beneath each image to explain the device, or it could be primarily text with only a few accompanying images. You could also use a flow chart to provide the user with directions. Think about your product and how each method might be of use when writing your user manual. However, avoid mixing different layouts within a manual. Choose one and stick with it.